What Linkee does

Linkee is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2016 in Paris that operates a solidarity logistics platform addressing food waste and student food insecurity in tandem. The organization collects unsold or surplus food from merchants, supermarkets, caterers, bakeries, artisans, and event professionals and redistributes it free of charge to university students facing financial precarity. Distribution operates across eight French metropolitan areas — Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, Toulouse, Marseille, and Paris/Île-de-France (with multiple sub-sites including Pantin, Cergy, Versailles, Nanterre, Saint-Quentin, and Saint-Denis) — and reached over 800,000 meals delivered per year to students and partner associations.

Linkee's product surface consists of four integrated components: a beneficiary web application at app-beneficiaire.linkee.co for student registration and parcel collection scheduling; a logistics and redistribution service managing food collection, transportation, and distribution across the eight-city footprint; a volunteer coordination layer organizing over 15,000 active volunteers for distribution shifts, cooking workshops, reconditioning activities, and corporate CSR events; and an annual sociological research series titled 'Avoir 20 ans' (Being 20 years old), which has surveyed over 25,000 students across five consecutive years since 2020. The technology stack is operationally focused rather than AI- or platform-centric: there is no public API, SDK, or disclosed data infrastructure beyond the beneficiary app. Strategic communications flow through organic social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), the company website, and earned media coverage of its annual studies.

Linkee generates no commercial revenue. As a charitable association, it is funded by individual donations processed through HelloAsso and grants from supporting organizations, with food inventory provided in-kind by partner donors. The association has 1-10 paid staff, is led by President and Data Protection Officer Julien Meimon, and relies on its volunteer base for nearly all operational labor. On April 21, 2026, Linkee was placed in judicial rehabilitation (redressement judiciaire) by the Paris Commercial Court, and the affiliated entity Linkee France - Entraide Etudiante submitted a takeover bid in early June 2026 to preserve operations and employment, with a court ruling expected by June 30, 2026.

Name

Linkee

Legal name

Linkee

Website

https://linkee.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Linkee is a French non-profit association collecting unsold food from merchants and supermarkets to redistribute free of charge to university students facing food insecurity. Operating across eight French cities through 15,000+ volunteers, it pairs anti-food-waste logistics with student poverty relief.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Redistribution and Anti-Waste Logistics Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG), Vending, Kiosk & À La Carte Food Programs (On-Campus Retail) (EDAEAEAI)

Keywords

• Food waste reduction
• Surplus food redistribution
• Student food assistance
• Food rescue logistics
• Anti-waste solidarity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit association (Linkee - Entraide Étudiante), the organization relies on donations from individuals and grants from organizations to fund its food rescue and redistribution operations. No commercial revenue model applies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Linkee is a French non-profit association that collects unsold or surplus food from merchants, artisans, supermarkets, caterers, bakeries, and event professionals and redistributes it free of charge to university students in precarious situations across eight French cities. The service is supported by a network of more than 15,000 volunteers and a dedicated beneficiary registration application, and produces annual sociological studies documenting student food insecurity.

Product overview

Linkee is a French non-profit association operating a unified anti-food waste redistribution service. The core offering consists of a beneficiary application for students to register for food parcel collection, combined with a logistics operation that collects unsold food from merchants and redistributes it to students in precarity. The service is supported by a network of over 15,000 volunteers across multiple French cities (Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, Toulouse, Marseille, Paris/Île-de-France). Linkee also produces annual sociological studies documenting student precarity conditions. The product architecture is a single integrated service rather than a modular platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Logistics and Redistribution Service A solidarity logistics service that collects unsold and surplus food from merchants, supermarkets, caterers, bakeries, and event professionals and redistributes it to students in precarious situations across multiple French cities including Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes, Toulouse, Marseille, and Paris/Île-de-France.
• Séminaires Solidaires (Solidarity Seminars) Corporate solidarity seminars and team-building events organized by Linkee, allowing companies to engage in anti-food-waste activities such as food collection, distribution, cooking workshops, or reconditioning as part of their CSR programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800,000+ meals distributed to students annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Commerces et supermarchéscoreOthersFood donors including shops, supermarkets, artisans, caterers, bakeries, and event professionals who provide unsold food items for redistribution to students.
• Linkee France - Entraide ÉtudiantecoreOthersThe associative entity that submitted a takeover bid in June 2026 during the judicial rehabilitation proceedings to ensure continuity of redistribution activities and preserve jobs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• FoodCloud: Ireland-based social enterprise connecting retail food surplus with charities through a tech platform. Operates the same food-waste-to-charity redistribution model as Linkee, though with a tech-platform approach rather than volunteer-driven distribution.
• Phénix: French anti-food-waste company helping retailers and food manufacturers manage unsold inventory through donation and resale channels. Comparable on the food waste recovery side of Linkee's model, though Phénix is a commercial entity serving B2B clients.

Broad incumbents

• Croix-Rouge française: Major French humanitarian organization providing food aid, among other social services. Operates food distribution programs comparable to Linkee's, though as part of a much broader humanitarian portfolio.
• Too Good To Go: European marketplace app connecting consumers with surplus food from restaurants and retailers. Operates in the same anti-food-waste category as Linkee's donor-facing activities, though through a consumer-pays model rather than direct donation.
• Oxfam France: French arm of Oxfam running programs on poverty and inequality including food security initiatives. Comparable as a large French nonprofit addressing food insecurity and student precarity, with broader thematic scope.
• Restos du Coeur: One of France's largest food aid nonprofits, distributing meals to people in poverty nationwide. Directly comparable as a French food redistribution charity serving vulnerable populations, though at much broader scale and with a wider beneficiary base than Linkee's student focus.
• Secours populaire français: Large French nonprofit providing food, clothing, and support to people in poverty. Directly comparable on food aid distribution to vulnerable populations in France, including students.

Direct peers

• ANDES (Association Nationale de Développement des Épiceries Solidaires): French network of solidarity grocery stores addressing food insecurity through dignified access to food. Closely comparable as a French food-assistance nonprofit serving people in precarious situations, with a different distribution format (stores vs. parcels).
• Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires: National network of food banks in France collecting and redistributing food to charitable organizations. Operates the same core anti-waste-to-food-aid model as Linkee, though with a broader beneficiary population and institutional funding structure.

Others

• France Bénévolat: National organization promoting and coordinating volunteer engagement across French nonprofits. Comparable as an enabler of volunteer-led social action in France, though it does not directly redistribute food.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LinkeeOfficiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linkee
• Instagraminstagram.com/linkeeofficiel
• Xx.com/LinkeeOfficiel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Linkee